1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to movable frames or trestles used for supporting a work piece. Such a frame, used for holding a piece of wood being sawed, is referred to as a sawhorse. As used herein, reference to the common term sawhorse also includes reference to similar movable frames, for whatever particular purpose intended. In particular, this invention is directed to, a sawhorse that has the various features of being collapsible, has a hollow work beam for stowing items, such as the other parts of the sawhorse, and includes a saddle mounted on the top of leg assemblies for supporting the work beam.
2. Related Art
Various designs of sawhorses are known to exist. The basic carpenters sawhorses have been made of wood with legs nailed to a work beam. Such a sawhorse is fixedly assembled and must be stored and moved in its completed form.
Hardware pieces are also commercially available for securing pieces of lumber together to form a sawhorse. These may provide for either permanent or disassembleable sawhorses. If they are disassembleable, there is no convenient way to keep the various parts together.
As a result, various designs have been developed to make storage and transportation of sawhorses more convenient. These include designs that provide for pivoting of the legs relative to each other and relative to the work beam to allow them to collapse. It is also known to provide means for attaching pieces together so that they can be disassembled. Such designs typically are somewhat expensive in that specially machined or manufactured parts are required.
Some designs are also known in which a work beam is replaceable. Some of these designs use the work beam as part of the support structure, and others do not.
Sawhorses also typically serve a single function, that of providing an elevated horizontal work beam. Some designs have been developed that have built-in tool shelves, and some also provide steps for use of the unit as a step ladder.
There remains the need for a sawhorse that can be completely disassembled and stored in a container, and particularly a sawhorse having a built-in container for storing its parts. There also is a need for a sawhorse that is inexpensive to make and which can be assembled without tools to form a lightweight, yet rigid sawhorse.